Windu's Return
by Keyblade Alchemist86
Summary: Mace Windu survived the Sith once, but now he is on the run and hiding in shadows. Now it is up to him, and his new apprentice, to stop a new plot to conquer the galaxy. Finished
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Mace Windu soared from the window in the Chancellor's office, rapidly plummeting thousands of feet to the ground. Blue lighting coursed through his entire body. The pain was intense, agonizing, but he knew he must not give up.

The ground continued to grow larger in front of him. Air traffic, with a huge assortment of vehicles going in every direction, constantly flew by him. But not one noticed the tiny speck of the Jedi Master, diminutive against the backdrop of the Coruscant night. Even now the lightning coursing through his body was dying down, though that did little to help his current situation.

Mace knew that if he miscalculated, even a little bit, he would end up a smudge on someone's windshield. He reached out with his left hand, his one good hand, and touched into the Force. Mace reached, saw, all the way down to the permacrete floor on the bottom, and pushed away from it. His descent to the bottom began to slow, but he knew it would not be enough. The lights continued to get brighter as the ground loomed closer.

Retracting his immersion in the Force, Mace looked around for something he could use. As he gazed around the air lanes Mace noticed a hovercar coming toward his position from below, intercepting his path of descent. He quickly angled his body, to make his fall quicken, and shot toward the hovercar. As he got closer he angled his body away from the car and used the Force to aid him in his landing. He landed on the roof with a thump, shaking the car. One of the car's occupants stuck, a Bothan, stuck its head out the window and looked angrily at Mace. But Mace gave the Bothan a harsh stare of his own and the alien timidly withdrew back into the car.

Mace realized that though he was not falling anymore he was still far from safe. Now, as he traveled on the speeding hovercar, he had to get down to the ground. He saw another aircar coming towards him from below. He turned towards and waited for the right moment, and then he jumped to it as it passed. Then from that one he continued his jumping from vehicle to vehicle as he made his descent to the Coruscant ground level. He was still far away from the ground, far enough away that if he hit the ground he would die. But as he stood on his most recently borrowed ride, he noticed a large pole quickly approaching, one that reached all the way to the ground.

The car passed by it and Mace jumped, wrapping his left arm around the pole and then he let gravity do the rest. He slid down the pole effortlessly but realized that at the rate he was going he would smash into the ground. He tried to use the Force to slow his descent, as he did before, but could not because he had only one arm to use. The ground began to come closer. Mace could now see the pedestrians, humans and aliens of all sorts, going about their business. Mace was now immersed in a galley of flashing signs as lights as the ground became larger.

Finally, only several yards from the ground, Mace leaped into the air and immediately thrust his hand out and used the Force to slow his descent. It worked but Mace had to roll as he touched the ground. He stood up and shook the dust off his robes. A large crowd was staring at him, amazed at what he had just done. Some started to go near him, asking questions, but Mace was neither in the mood or had the capability of answering any questions.

He ran through the crowd and escaped into an alley, into the shadows of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Twenty years later.

The alien yelled at Thrent in its alien language, effectively saying "Get out of here, yer stinkin' human! I don't want your filth here!"

Trent ran back through the alley, the food he stole from the vendor tucked away in his pockets. Behind him Trent heard the alien yell again, apparently noticing that the food was gone, but by that time Trent had long disappeared. He ran back to his home, what used to be a high class apartment building in one of Coruscant's older districts. He and his family, his mother and younger brother, lived in a run down room in the building on the bottom floor. He passed by other occupants, aliens and humans alike, who had been displaced when the Chancellor took over as Emperor.

Trent's father had disappeared many years ago, and when he did his family was forced to run and hide. They came to live in the run down building, in what Trent believed to be one of the darkest places on Coruscant. Trent's father had been part of the early stages of the Rebellion against the Empire, but he was caught and never seen from again.

Now Trent was eighteen and was the provider for his family. His mother could not leave their home because she had to watch out to make sure no thieves broke in, which occurred often where Trent lived. Trent's younger brother, Kirrick, was almost never home. He had inherited their father's fight against the Empire. Kirrick would leave almost every night and come back sometime before the sun rose. He never said where he went but he constantly fought with their mother, who always tried to talk Kirrick out of going. She feared for Kirrick and did not want him to disappear like his father did. But Trent was the caretaker from the family and often had to steal food just so they could survive.

"Mom, I'm back," Trent said as he walked in the front door. "I got the food." The room was lit by only enough lights to see where they were. Other than that the room was dark. It was a modestly big apartment, since it had once been part of an exquisite building. Much of the original furniture, including three beds, a sofa, and a chair, remained though they were very worn. A broken droid hunched over in a corner in the room, the light from its eyes gone out long ago. Fortunately there was still running water and lighting in the apartment. When the building had been closed someone had apparently forgot to turn off the power. Trent's mother, Keira, walked into the main room, where the sofa and one chair were, holding the baby in her arms.

"Thank the stars," Keira said. "You took so long in getting back I was afraid you never would."

"Don't worry, Mom," Trent said as he handed her the food he had stole. His mother went back to the kitchen setting aside the food for later. "They can never catch me."

"But one day they might," Keira said as she looked at her son. "And I don't know what will happen if they ever do."

"I'm too clever for them, Mom," Trent said. "I can tell what they are going to do and how I should sneak in. They never see me until I'm already gone."

"But still you have to be careful." Keira said.

"I know, Mom, I know," Trent said and headed for the door. "I told Brynn and Cor I would meet them. I have to go."

"Ok, say hi to them for me, but please be careful." Keira said.

"I will." Trent said and left.

-

"Hey Brynn. Hey Cor.." Trent said as he approached his two friends. He was meeting his two friends in their usual spot, about a block away from where Granth lived. Their meeting spot was in the middle of where the three lived, since each lived in a different run down area.

"Hey, Trent." Brynn was first to reply. Brynn was the same age as Trent and they had known each other from when they were very little. Before they both had to hide they lived by each other and continued to even after they were forced to go into hiding. Brynn had long brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She wore simple clothes, much like everyone did where they all lived.

"Hey, Trent," Cor said. Both Cor and Trent were the same age as well and both had brown hair. But while Cor had green eyes Trent had blue. "What took you so long?"

"Just getting some food." Trent said.

"Ah, well you know, you should be careful," Brynn said. "You're going to get caught doing that one day."

"You're staring to sound like my mother," Trent said and they all laughed. "Don't worry, they can never catch me."

"And what makes you so special?" Cor asked.

"It's like I can predict what they are going to do next," Trent said. "It's like I know what they do before they do it, and how I can sneak up on them."

"Huh, interesting." Cor said.

"So what are we doing today?" Trent asked.

"I thought we could go find that old man again." Cor said.

"Again?" Brynn asked. "Didn't you do enough to him last time?"

"You mean take his walking stick when he wasn't looking?" Cor said. "And the way he chased me until I threw it back at him? No, why do you ask?"

"Sometimes Cor, you can be a real monster," Brynn said. "I can't believe that you would torture that poor old man like that. I mean he only has one arm."

"Yeah, but it's fun. After all he is just a crazy, old man." Cor said. "Trent, you agree with me right?"

"No, Brynn's right, Cor, you should really leave the old man alone."

"Oh, neither of you are any fun," Cor said jokingly. "I don't know why I hang out with you two."

"Because we are the only friends you have." Brynn said and they all shared a laugh.

"Well, if we're not going to do anything I should probably get back home," Trent said. "I'm sure my Mom is getting worried about me, she always is."

"Ok, Trent -" Brynn started to say but stopped when she heard a loud alarm go off. They all looked at each other. "What's that alarm?"

"Let's go find out." Cor said and they ran off to the flashing signs and lights. They entered into the main street where a large crowd stood in front of a viewscreen. A line of words moved from one side of the screen to the other as a electronic male voice spoke.

"Today at thirteen hundred hours Coruscant time the Rebels have attacked one of our bases. In the fighting the Rebels murdered several Moffs, including Grand Moff Tarkin. The Empire will grieve this day, but not for long. We will strike back at the Rebel insurgents and make them pay for their slaughter of our great leaders."

The transmission abruptly ended and left everyone stunned, with all saying "Do you believe that?" and "About time they make the Rebels pay" and other such things. Soon the crowd dispersed and drifted off, while the three friends started to drift back toward their dark alley home.

"Grand Moff Tarkin is dead?" Brynn whispered to here two other friends as the crowd dispersed. "I wonder how the Rebels pulled that off?"

"Don't know, and probably never will," Trent said and started to slip back into the alley when a slimy hand suddenly grabbed him. Trent spun around and turned to face the alien vendor he had stolen food from before. The alien sputtered something in its language which effectively translated to "Now I got you!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The blubbery, huge nosed alien continued yelling at Trent in its alien language, though Trent had no idea what the giant creature was saying. The alien tightened its grip on Trent and dragged him closer to its face.

"Hey, let me go." Trent said as he struggled to get free. But the alien was relentless and continued to yell at Trent. It stopped momentarily and waved one of its short arms over to someone, and two stormtroopers approached.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" One of the troopers asked in a monotonous voice. The alien's response had to be translated for the Imperial to understand.

"Stealing food? Is that all?" The other stormtrooper asked incredulously. "Alien scum, how dare you waste our time with such trivial problems?" The stormtrooper took the butt of his blaster and bashed it into the alien's huge stomache. The alien dropped Trent and sulked away in pain. Trent landed on his feet and started to walk away.

"And as for you," the second stormtrooper said turning to Trent. "The only thing lower than alien filth is street scum."

Trent and his friends glowered at the Imperial trooper.

"Stealing is still an offense, and you have violated Imperial Law." The trooper continued.

"But it was only a little food," Trent tried to explain but the Imperial would not listen.

"You're coming with us," the first stormtrooper said. "And your friends too."

"Why them? They didn't do anything?" Trent asked as the second trooper grabbed Brynn.

"They did more than enough by just being who they are," the stormtrooper said. "Coruscant already has enough garbage and its time to clean some up."

"No," Trent started to say as the stormtrooper began to drag him and his friends away when a voice spoke.

"Leave those children alone." The deep voice said.

"Who said that?" one of the troopers asked, his blaster swerving as he turned his head to see where the voice came from. From one of the shadows above a building a form jumped down to the ground. A man now stood in front of the stormtroopers, blocking their path. He stood very tall with dark skin, dressed in simple robes. His face was blanketed by the shadows. In his left hand he held a short staff, not much more than a piece of a broken pole. The man's other hand held nothing because it was not there.

"Let them go." The man said again.

"Get out of our way." one of the stormtroopers said.

"Let them ago," the man said. "This is your last chance."

"You dare to threaten us?" the sotrmtrooper holding Trent said. "Try and stop us."

The stormtrooper shoved Trent away, and the other trooper did similarly with Brynn and Cor. Both troopers then raised their blaster rifles up to face the man. "Blast him." One said, but the man was gone.

"Where'd he go?" the first stormtrooper asked, looking each way for the man, aiming his blaster as he turned.

"Up there!" the second one said as the first looked up to see the man flying down at him, staff coming right towards him. The broken metal pole hit the stormtrooper's protected head with a large crack, dropping the stormtrooper to the ground. In response the second trooper fired his blaster at the man, but not one bolt hit. The man dodged in every direction, not getting hit by any blaster bolts. He then ducked below the level of the blaster rifle and the flying bolts and seemed to teleport from where the first stormtrooper lay prone to where the second trooper stood. The stormtrooper momentarily paused as the man crouched underneath, staff at the ready. Then the staff went shooting up the stormtrooper's midsection and emerged on the other side of the trooper's back. The stormtrooper and the blaster rifle dropped to the ground.

Trent and his friends stood watching helplessly as all the events unfurled. It seemed to happen so slowly though it only took several seconds. They barely even heard the man as brought up his staff and said "Leave." The next thing they knew the man was gone and people were coming to see where the blaster shots were coming from, but by the time they got there the three friends were gone.

-

"Did you see that?" Brynn said after they had ran back to their meeting place. "I couldn't believe what just happened."

"Me neither," Cor said. "He just , wasted two Imperials like they were nothing."

"And that guy was the old man you wanted to harass, Cor." Trent put in.

"Yeah, well, remind me to never bother him again." Cor said.

"Do you think anyone else saw that?" Brynn asked. "I mean if anyone saw, we could be in huge trouble."

"I don't think anyone else saw." Trent said. "We were gone before anyone got there."

"And the man got away also," Brynn said. "I wonder why he helped us?"

"I don't know, but just be glad he did." Trent said. "I'm going to head back home, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Brynn said.

"Bye, Trent." Cor said.

"Bye." Trent said and went home. When he got there he saw his younger brother Kirrick was already home and his mother was serving dinner.

"Where were you?" Trent's mother asked. "You're home so late."

"I'm sorry Mom, I just lost track of time." Trent said.

"Be more careful next time," Keira said. "I don't want anything happening to you. Now eat."

"Okay, Mom." Trent said.

After dinner it was already long into nighttime, though on Coruscant there was always something going on, even at night. Trent headed toward his room to go to sleep but his brother intercepted him just before he entered.

"Quiet." Kirrick said as their mother shut her door with a click. "I saw what happened today."

"What are you talking about?" Trent asked.

"Don't play dumb," Kirrick said. "I saw what happened outside the alley, with the old man."

"Kirrick, stop, you don't know," Trent started to say.

"No, I do know, Trent, I know everything that's happened today, both with the old man and the news report," Kirrick said. "I have some connections."

"Oh, yeah, what kind?" Trent asked doubtfully.

"The kind that know what really happened with the death of the moffs and the Imperial headquarters," Kirrick said. "It was no real "murder", just Imperial propaganda. I don't know what happened exactly but I do know that the Rebels were acting in self-defense."

"Really?" Trent asked.

"Yes, really," Kirrick answered. "And I'm only telling you this because of what is going to happen next."

"What's going to happen next?" Trent asked, his voice full of derision.

"Revolt," Kirrick said. "There are hundreds of us here, all sympathetic toward the Rebellion, even if we don't actively show it. I have though, I've been part of the Rebellion here on Coruscant. And with all these recent events, with the death of the moffs, it's the perfect time to overthrow the Imperials."

"Kirrick, you do not know what you're talking about," Trent said. "There may be hundreds here sympathetic with the Rebellion but there are thousands of Imperials on Coruscant alone. You can't win."

"But we will," Kirrick said, fire burning in his eyes. "Only hundreds here but as our revolt grows we will bring hundreds and thousands more to our cause. The Rebellion and this revolt will succeed. We even have the means with which to fight with."

"Means to do it with? You mean weapons, don't you?" Trent said. "Kirrick, don't you understand, if you fight hundreds, thousands will die, all for nothing. I am as much for the Rebellion as you are but not like this. There's nothing we can do."

"You're wrong, Trent," Kirrick said. "There is so much we can do, and tomorrow I will prove it to you," He paused. "Or die trying. There is nothing you can do to talk me out of this, but if you change your mind, come find me. Now, goodnight." Kirrick said and entered his own room, closing his door. Trent knew it would be useless to talk to Kirrick now, with his mind so bent on this. Trent just went into his room and went to sleep, though in the pit of his stomach, he had a bad feeling about this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Everyone, listen to me," Kirrick said speaking to his audience. "For too long have we been forced to live here in hiding, in fear of the Empire. The Rebels will succeed in overthrowing the Empire, but we must do all we can to help them. Now, with the destruction of the Imperial headquarters, we must carry this one victory to victory over all."

Kirrick continued to speak to the ever growing crowd in the center square of the alley. He stood on a podium, recently built just for him. As Trent watched in back of the crowd, his sense of dread continued to grow. Trent heard someone call his name and saw Brynn and Cor approach him.

"Trent, what's going on?" Brynn asked him.

"It's Kirrick," Trent replied. "He began giving his speech this morning to anyone who'd listen. He told me last night he plans to put on his own rebellion against the Imperials."

"He's crazy, it will never work." Cor said.

"That's what I told him but he wouldn't listen," Trent said. "Kirrick believes this is the best course of action, with the recent Rebel victory, and he's become blinded to the reality of the situation. Also," Trent lowered his voice. "He saw what happened yesterday."

"Has he told anyone?" Brynn asked.

"No, but he's using that as well for his motivation," Trent said. "I have to stop him."

"But how?" Cor asked.

"I don't know." Trent said and turned back to listen to his brother.

"With my contacts in the Rebellion, we can overthrow the Imperials," Kirrick said. "But we need as many people as we can get so I ask you, please, help us. We almost have all we need to accomplish our goal but we still need more people. Will you help us, help us make all our lives better?"

Many people answered Kirrick's question, all shouting their support toward the revolt.

"Good everyone, thank you," Kirrick said. "Now come up here and take what you need." Behind Kirrick two aliens, a Bothan and a Mon Calamari, opened crates that were hidden in the shadows. From the crates blasters of all kinds were taken out and began to be distributed among the gathered people.

"I can't believe they're going with him." Cor said.

"Well why wouldn't they?" Brynn said. "Everyone here has lost something to the Empire and now they feel its their time to make the Imperials pay. They are all rallied by Kirrick's speech and goals."

"They don't know what they're getting themselves into." Cor said.

"I have to stop him." Trent said and walked off to face his brother. He approached him as Kirrick was handing out a weapon. "Kirrick, I must talk to you."

"Ah, Trent, have you decided to join us?" Kirrick asked.

"No, Kirrick, I have come to ask you, even beg, for you to stop this." Trent said.

"And why should I stop, when we will succeed?"

"Kirrick don't you understand, you can't win," Trent explained. "There are too many enemies for you to fight and most of your combatants have never fought before. You said more people will join your cause as you fight and win but that will never happen. You'll be stopped long before that."

"Trent, don't you have any faith in me?"

"I do, but you are missing the point. Maybe at another time this revolt might succeed but not now. Tell your contacts in the Rebellion to send more of their own people."

"They can't, Trent, and that's why they selected me to lead this revolt." Kirrick said.

"Kirrick, you are being a fool," Trent said. "This is exactly what Mom said happened to Dad. He got too reckless and he got killed, and the same thing is going to happen to you. And have you thought about Mom, what she will think about this? About what will happen to her if you fail?"

"Then I won't fail," Kirrick said quietly with complete seriousness in his voice. "Now leave, big brother, while I lead us to victory."

"Fine, goodbye, Kirrick." Trent said and walked back to his friends.

"It didn't go well, huh?" Brynn asked.

"No, he's adamant about this," Trent said. "Even though he know the odds aren't in his favor."

"Then what can we do?" Cor asked.

"Nothing, just sit and wait." Trent said and looked back as his brother began speaking.

"Now that we are all ready, it is time to strike at the Imperials," Kirrick said. "We will not fail, and though some of you may die today, remember that what you do will go down in history. Now, everyone follow me to victory!" As he finished he cheered and the crowd followed his example, lifting their weapons in the air as they cheered. Then they all began to follow Kirrick, humans and aliens alike, weapons at the ready, as they marched out of the alley.

-

Death came from every b direction.

People were falling down, layed low by blaster fire. There was nothing they could do to stop the massacre.

Kirrick and his followers had left the alley and entered the main well lit street and claimed as much as they could for the Rebels.

Until the Imperial stormtroopers arrived.

They wasted no time in completely dispatching with the rebels, which the Imperials far outnumbered.

It was a massacre.

"Retreat!" someone called out, though the person's scream ended with a yell as he was struck by blaster fire. People fell even as they ran.

Kirrick was near the front of the retreating mass, nearly getting hit many times by blaster fire. Some did strike him however and he was seriously wounded. His weapon long gone he ran into the dark alley as fast as he could. Everything seemed to blur as he ran, his world turning completely upside down. He turned to look behind him to make sure nothing was following him and when he turned around he crashed right into Trent and his friends.

Both brothers toppled to the floor.

"Kirrick, oh no, what happened?" Trent said as he stood up and helped his brother to his feet. Kirrick's face was badly burnt and swollen and he was clutching his side.

"They came from nowhere," Kirrick said in short gasps. "We were overwhelmed, barely got away. So many dead." He began to cry.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," Trent said. "Brynn, get something for him to drink." Brynn nodded and went to get something.

"You were right, Trent," Kirrick said. "We couldn't win."

"Don't worry about that now." Trent said.

"I'm so sorry." Kirrick said.

"It's ok, as long as your safe," Trent said. "Calm down."

Brynn soon returned and handed a glass of water to Kirrick, who quickly drank it.

"Kirrick, we have to be careful now," Trent said. "I know you escaped the Imperials, but were you followed?"

"I don't think so I-" Kirrick said but froze when he turned around, as did Trent and his friends. Floating behind them was a small Imperial camera droid. The droid hovered close to them for a moment and then zoomed away in the other direction. "Oh no." Kirrick said his voice shaking. Cor gulped.

"We don't have much time," Trent said. "We have to leave now. And if that droid followed us here it might also lead the Imperials to our home. Brynn I want you to go home and get your belongings."

"But-"

"Go, now." Trent commanded and Brynn turned to leave, but not before kissing Trent. Then she was gone.

"Cor, I'm going to need your help with Kirrick," Trent continued. "I have to get him home and get my Mom. Then we all have to leave."

"Right." Cor said and helped Trent support Kirrick.

Monotone voices began coming from the alley entrance where the droid had left to.

"We don't have much time." Trent said. They ran for what seemed forever, both doing all they could to help Kirrick. But as they got closer to Trent's home, they heard shouting and chaotic sounds getting louder.

"Oh no," Trent said. "Hurry."

They passed a corner and entered Trent's home area. And they saw why people were shouting and what the sounds were.

The Imperials had beaten them home.

People, people Trent had known his entire life, lay still on the ground. Smoke from fire grew thick in the air as buildings burned. Blaster fire covered the entire area. Fortunately Trent and Cor, still carrying Kirrick, were hidden away from the carnage.

"The Imperials must have followed others back here." Cor said.

"I have to go," Trent said. "I have to find my mother."

"Wait, Trent," Cor called out above the explosions and blaster fire. "Look."

Trent turned to see what his friend was indicating and a horrified look came over his face. His home was burning, explosions rippling through it.

"No," Trent said, tears dripping down his face.

"I'm sorry, Trent." Cor said as they heard voices coming closer behind them. "We have to go."

"Right," Trent said wiping away tears. "Now's not the time. This way." They began running again when suddenly a huge explosion shook the ground. Trent turned to see where the explosion came from and his saw the building his home was in start to tilt towards the ground. He froze in place. Another explosion shook him, though he did not move, the flames and the building getting ever closer to him.

"Trent!" Cor called out to him and pushed him out of the way. Trent went flying, barely escaping the path of the falling building, the path that Cor now stood directly in front of. Trent could only look in horror as the flaming building collapsed on his friend.

The world was spinning as Trent could only stare in terror, lying on the ground, even as the flames began to get closer to him. The world started to get darker, the light going out. Trent didn't even hear as armored footsteps approached, blasters aiming for him, or the sudden sound of several surprised gasps and armored bodies falling to the ground. By that time, the world had gone completely dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Trent sat up with a gasp in unfamiliar surroundings. He was in a dark room, dimly lit by a small glow lamp. He realized it must be a large room because though the light did not reach very far, it was enough for him to tell that there were no walls close by. There were barely any items in the room except for the lamp and a worn out cot and blanket.

Trent could not remember how he got here or what happened but then in an instant everything came flooding back to him. The revolt, the stormtroopers, the fire, the darkness.

The death.

Trent put his hands on his face and started to cry. He cried for his brother, his friends, his mother; all gone. He cried for all the people in the alley, the people who foolishly followed his brother to their doom. He cried for all the innocents killed; killed by the stormtroopers pursuing the fleeing revolters.

Trent did not know for how long he cried for but eventually his tears stopped. He wiped away the last of his tears from his raw eyes and looked around. He was all alone, and he had no idea how he got here.

"Anybody here?" Trent called out.

No answer.

Trent then got up and started to look around. He picked up the glow lamp and used it to light up the many dark areas. He was indeed in a large room, with very few items, but no matter how much he searched he could not find a door leading out. He continued looking and shined the light on a small, wooden table. Something reflected off the table.

Trent walked over to it and set the lamp down. On the table sat a cylindrical device with several buttons. Trent picked it up and was surprised by how light it felt. He started to press one of the buttons.

"I wondered when you would wake up." A voice said behind up.

Trent slammed the device on the table and whirled around, his heart racing.

"Who said that?" Trent asked his voice quavering.

"I did." Said the voice again and someone stepped forward. To Trent's surprise it was the same man who had rescued him and his friends from the stormtroopers.

"Who are you?" Trent asked.

"That's not important right now." the man said and stepped closer to Trent. Even in the dim light Trent was positive it was the same man. But now, being so close to the man for the first time, Trent could see the man looked very haggard and had a weariness in his eyes.

"Did you save me?" Trent asked.

"Yes, I did." The man answered.

"Well, then if you saved me why didn't you save my friends," Trent asked, his fear turning to anger. "Or my mother? Why did you let them die and just save me?"

The man sighed. "I wish I could have saved them as well, but I was not near when the events happened. I was returning here when I heard the explosions and came as soon as I could. By that time it was nearly over, but then I saw you and your friends behind the corner. I was about to come get you when you rushed out and the building fell. Your one friends pushed you out of the way and I was able to come rescue you, though I had to get through some stormtroopers to do so."

Trent hesitated. "But then, _why_ did you rescue me? Why did you help me at all, like when you rescued my friends and I from the stormtroopers?"

"Do you think you are so special?" the man asked attackingly and Trent flinched. "You were in trouble and I helped you. It is as simple as that; I would have done it for anyone. The Empire is evil, and its corruption runs deep. There is a saying: Do not look a krayt dragon in the mouth."

Trent felt that he had shrunk down to the size of a pebble.

"But I'm sorry," the man said. "There is actually a special reason I saved you. Actually, I was never sure if I would ever be able to talk to you in private." The man paused and started at Trent. "Have you ever wondered how you are able to do the things you do? Effortlessly sneak behind a vendor's back and steal something? Or how you can disappear and escape whoever is following you?"  
Trent shook his head.

"There is something special in you, Trent." The man said. "Something I have seen for a long time."

The man stopped and the silence seemed to go one forever.

"Who are you?" Trent asked, breaking the heavy silence.

"My name is Mace Windu." The man said.

-

"Over twenty years ago, I was a Jedi Master," Mace recounted his tale to Trent. "I sat on the Jedi Council and did all I could to ensure the peace and justice of the Republic. Then the dark times came, with the Sith plotting to take over the galaxy. Not many people know these events that occurred, and those that have heard them have heard twisted accounts of what actually happened. The Sith plotted to take over the galaxy, starting with the corruption of the Republic and ending with the destruction of the Jedi.

The Jedi were never completely sure that the Sith were plotting galactic conquest, until the Clone Wars began, and we received information that a Sith lord, called Darth Sidious, was in control of the Republic. We searched everywhere but could not find any hard proof that the Sith lord existed, but he did. Every time we got close to him he slipped through our fingers until eventually we discovered the truth. A fellow Jedi, named Anakin Skywalker, found out the truth. I and several other Jedi went to apprehend the Sith lord. I was the only survivor.

Skywalker betrayed me and I was defeated by Sidious, losing my hand in the process. They thought I was dead but survived. I fled into the shadows, hoping to strike back at the Sith but I never got the chance. The Jedi were wiped out and the one chance I had to help was gone. I then waited, knowing that I could never go back out into the world and that I have to remain in hiding. If the Emperor knew I was alive he would show no mercy. Fortunately I was able to retrieve my lightsaber once it was relatively safe. Miraculously it was still functioning but I cannot use it. If I did the Imperial agents would find me, without doubt.

Now Emperor Palpatine, though I know him by his other name of Darth Sidious, rules the galaxy with his apprentice Darth Vader. I know all that has transpired in the galaxy and there is nothing I can do alone to change it."

Trent sat back to process everything Mace had said, amazed by it all. But one question continued to bother him.

"Then what is it you want from me?"

"There is nothing I can do alone to change things, Trent," Mace repeated. "But together we can change things, for the better."

"How?" Trent asked.

"The only way possible," Mace said. "I will train you in the ways of the Force."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Train me in the Force?" Trent said skeptically, standing up. "Mace, I don't see how that's possible. Just because I can disappear in a crowd can't mean that I can use the Force."

Mace stood up as well. "But it can. In my experience there have been many with Force potential who have used it unknowingly. One I know used it to predict where his opponents would be next, giving him an advantage over his opponents."

"Who was it?" Trent asked.

"No one important," Mace said. "But what you must realize that with the proper training you can develop this ability into something you would never have dreamed of."

"But aren't I too old for training?" Trent asked. "I remember hearing somewhere that a person can't be trained as a Jedi f they're too old. That's why the Jedi always looked for babies with the Force"

"That is true, but we have made exceptions in the past, in really special cases."

"So what's so special about my case?" Trent asked.

Mace's face suddenly appeared much older and haggard than it had appeared before. "Because there are so few Jedi left, we need all we can train. The Jedi were for protecting the galaxy. We were the guardians of peace and justice but now, as far as I know, it is just me," Mace paused. "And hopefully, you."

"But-" Trent said.

"No, Trent," Mace said. "They're must be no more hesitation. You either will, or you will not, accept my proposition."

Trent paused, not sure what to say, his mind racing with all that had occurred in such a short time.

"The galaxy needs you Trent," Mace said. "I know we have not known each other for long, but this is crucial. Will you help me?"

"Yes, Mace, I will." Trent said after a moment.

"Very good," Mace said, his depressed appearance lighting up a little. "But we must act quickly. We have much to cover in only a short amount of time. The process to become a Jedi cannot be rushed, but we will have to make adjustments to the normal course."

Trent continued listening.

"Unfortunately, though it has been over twenty years, the wounds I received from Darth Sidious have never fully healed. In a way I have been crippled in the Force and have never been able to recover my full strength, so I will not be able to show you the way to detect shatterpoints in the Force, nor my fighting technique. But with what I will teach you will not need to know those things."

Trent still did not speak.

"Now it is time we begin. First, from now on no longer address me as 'Mace'. Because you are now my Padawan, you must address me as 'Master Windu', as it is said in the Jedi protocols."

"Yes, Master Windu." Trent said at last.

"Let us begin," Mace said. "Close your eyes. Though you cannot feel it the Force is all around you. You must open up your mind to. Everything you see is affected by the Force and the Force is affected by those things as well. Plants, animals, even machines are tied to the Force in their own way. Open your eyes."

Trent's eyes snapped open.

"There are two sides to the Force: the Light and the Dark. The Jedi use the Light side of the Force to protect and serve the galaxy. To the Jedi, the Force brings calm and knowledge. It guides their actions to serve those who need help and to think of others above themselves. The Sith, and Dark Jedi, however use the Dark side of the Force for their own inner purposes. They think only about themselves and how to gain more power, corrupting themselves and others in the process. The Dark side also gives knowledge and support to the corrupted, but it is an evil kind. You must know and identify the Dark side and never succumb to it. Anger, fear, aggression, hate, jealousy; these feelings lead to the dark side. You must let go of these feelings if you wish to master the Force."

Mace paused for a moment, allowing Trent to process all he said.

"Now," Mace began again. "Close you eyes."

**--**

"Open your eyes," Mace said. "What did you feel?"

"I felt the Force, Master," Trent said, completing another part of his training. "I saw, felt, the Force everywhere, in everything. It felt exactly like last time."

"Good, Trent," Mace said. "You have developed your abilites very well."

Three years have passed since Mace's rescue of Trent, and Trent's power's have grown much since then.

"The mysteries of the Force are great, but you need not comprehend all of it." Mace said.

"Yes, Master." Trent said.

"You completed much of your training already, and in such a short time for a Jedi Padawan. This is good because we can now finish the training and you can begin working to becoming a true Jedi."

"Thank you, Master." Trent said.

"Now you will begin what may be your hardest test: constructing your lightsaber. For years I have been scrounging around, looking for the pieces to build a lightsaber. I knew I would train you one day, from the moment I saw you, and immediately I began looking for the right components. I have all pieces required and you shall receive them soon, but first you must take this." Mace reached into a pocket in his clothes and brought out something small and curved. "This is the focusing crystal you will need to finish your lightsaber. Take it." Mace handed the stone to Trent. "And after you have completed building you lightsaber and we review the necessary training with it, we will begin our first mission together."

"What do you mean, Master?" Trent asked, after putting the stone away.

"Things in the galaxy are changing, and I feel it is for the better," Mace said. "But because of our isolation, we are not currently up to date on the current galactic situation. However there is a place I know of, that I have frequently visited in the past before I took you on as my apprentice. There I have found out about the Rebels and the Rebellion. But though things are changing for the better, thanks to the Rebels, it might not last. This place I have visited is an Imperial facility where I have discovered they are planning something. I do not know what it is yet but if the Empire is involved it can only be for evil. We must infiltrate this facility and discover what it's true purpose is, a purpose even I have yet not discovered."

"What will we do in the facility?" Trent asked.

"We must infiltrate the facility and spy on what is occurring with in. Something important is happing and I feel we are the only two that can stop it." Mace paused. "But immediately we must concentrate on the here and now and not keep looking ahead toward the future. You have the lightsaber pieces that you need, and it is time you got started."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Mace and Trent crawled through the ventilation ducts in the Imperial research facility. Located deep below the surface of Coruscant, Mace and Trent had to take many paths to ultimately reach their destination. Mace took Trent to where he had previously entered the facility.

"Lucky for us the set up of the facility has not changed," Mace said. "It has been three years since I have been here last but apparently they have not thought it necessary to change anything. We must hurry."

After that Mace and Trent climbed into the air ducts and began their search through the building. They had to crouch down in the confined space of the shaft, sometimes on the hands and need, making sure to not make any noise. Surprisingly the air ducts were clean so traveling through them was easy. Attached to Trent's belt was his newly built and tested lightsaber.

"Now we must separate," Mace said as he and Trent approached a split in the linear path. "You know what to do."

"Yes, Master," Trent said. "I will scout and listen for anything I can, of course being careful not to get caught and will meet back with you once I finish my way through."

"Remember, stay on this path, it will take you outside. If you hear or see anything of importance only then leave the shaft, but remember where it is. It is easy to get lost in here. Only in the air ducts are there no sensors, so you should be safe as long as you stay unseen."

"I will master." Trent said and he and Mace went their different ways.

Trent continued on through the air shaft, the only sound the air moving through the shaft, blocking out his quiet footsteps. A faint light allowed him to see where he was going. Trent continued walking until he came to a part of the air ducts through which he could see everything below. He was standing near an open square patch with bars barricading any chance of leaving, not that he would have wanted to.

Below him he saw several technicians in Imperial uniforms working on many huge and intricate machines. Generators were making a constant humming noise as they powered nearby cylinders and pumps and other machines Trent did not recognize. As he watched the only door to the room opened and a man dressed in a prim Imperial uniform walked in, flanked by two stormtroopers. One of the technicians approached the officer and, with a salute, began speaking with him. Despite the noise the machines were making Trent could hear everything the two men were discussing, due to his training.

"Have the simulations gone as predicted?" the officer asked.

"Yes sir, everything has gone exactly as we knew it would." The technician responded.

"Excellent," the officer said. "And how soon until the process will be entirely operational?"

"We are ninety percent to completion, however with our limited resources we are not sure when we will be able to bring it to one hundred percent."  
"Engineer Grurke, I know you are well aware that this project must be finished." The officer said calmly.

"Yes, sir." Grurke said.

"And you do realize what the price of failure is?" The officer said calmly once again.

Grurke gulped and glanced at the two stormtroopers standing behind the officer. "Yes, sir. But we are nearly on time and will be finished shortly."

"Very good, but I shall have you know that the Emperor has contacted me personally and has expressed much interest in this current project."

"Yes, sir."

"He also informed me that he wished to come here and view our work so far. I told him our task was nearly finished and he became quite pleased and told me he was coming soon to see our progress."

"The Emperor's coming here?" Grurke asked, slightly in shock.

"Correct, and I do not want to disappoint him."

"We shall triple our efforts." Grurke said.

"Good, for if you and your team are not finished, I shall inform him I was given the wrong information by my senior engineer. I hope you understand?"

"Yes, sir, completely." Grurke said, sweating slightly.

"Good," the officer said. "Now I must leave you, I have other matters to attend to. I will be back tomorrow for, what I hope, to be the final simulation update. Carry on." With that Engineer Grurke gave a salute and the officer turned and walked out the door, the stormtroopers following silently.

"Attention," Grurke called out to the other technicians who momentarily stopped working. "I have just been informed that the Emperor is coming here shortly, and that he wishes to see the complete project. Therefore we must increase our output by three fold. Now, carry on."

After giving the order all the technicians began working even faster than before. Meanwhile Trent watched quietly, hidden from all, committing everything to memory. Once he finished Trent continued crawling through the air ducts, passing many other rooms also filled with machines similar to the ones in the first room. But as he passed by more rooms things began to change. Instead of technicians and huge machines Trent began to see what looked like Imperial scientists and researchers and medical equipment. The room themselves had changed also, has before in the one with the generators the room was big but also dark and dirty due to the machine run off, the rooms here were bright and clean.

One area in particular caught Trent's attention, as if it called to him. Inside it several people, dressed in white laboratory coats were examining tubes of bubbling chemicals. The sight of them gave Trent a very uneasy feeling and he started to move away when he saw in one of the tubes a person floating inside. A medical droid monitored the person floating in the tube, an air mask allowing the person to breathe. The person's eyes were shut and he seemed to be asleep.

Trent started at the person floating inside, captivated by him for some reason. He looked at the person, seeing that the person was about as old as he was, but maybe a little younger. For some reason to Trent the person looked familiar to him but he could not know how. As he continued thinking about this the only door to the room opened and a man walked in. To Trent's surprise it was the same Imperial officer from before, flanked by the same stormtroopers. The officer once again was greeted with a salute by one of the scientists.

"Welcome, General," The scientist said. "Back for another update?"

"Yes, I am most interested in the progress you have made so far." The General said.

"As you can see we have progressed much." The scientist said, indicating to the man floating in the tube.

"Dr. Ixit," the General began. "I do not see anything."

"Exactly," Dr. Ixit said. "Everything has been set so nothing will appear either superficially or if tested upon. It would be kept hidden until it is time for activation."

"Excellent," the General said. "And when will the prototype be ready?"

Dr. Ixit cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, despite all the time and effort we have been working on this, the prototype is not perfectly ready. We still need to run some additional tests to-" Dr. Ixit stopped when the General raised his hand, silencing him.

"Dr., I have given you much time already," the officer said. "And I am afraid you are running out of time."

"But sir-"

"I have informed the Emperor on the progress we have made so far and he is very interested. So much, in fact, that he has decided to come see it for himself."

"The Emperor is coming?" Dr. Ixit said surprised.

"Yes, Dr.," the General said. "And I do not wish to disappoint."

"Very well, sir," the scientist said. "We shall finish up with our tests and have the prototype ready for when the Emperor arrives."

"Good," the General said. "Keep up the good work." With that the General turned around and walked out, followed by the stormtroopers.

After the General left Trent immediately left as well, continuing along his path through the ventilation system. He knew he had to relay all the information to Mace so they could plan their next step. After crawling silently through the air ducts Trent finally came to the end. A barred window blocked the exit and Trent had to remove the obstacle. He ignited his lightsaber, and with a _snap-hiss_ an orange blade sprang to life. In a quick cut the bars were cut and Trent was outside, but not before using the Force to hold the bars before they clattered to the ground. Trent ran passed the security cameras and guards, back to his and his Master's refuge. Once there he saw Mace had already arrived and was meditating. Mace stopped as Trent approached.

"Good, your back," Mace said, standing up. "Tell me everything you have learned."

-

After telling his Master everything that he saw, Mace began filling Trent in on what Mace experienced.

"It is very interesting, based on what you have told me."

"How so, Master?" Trent asked.

"This general you saw, I have seen him as well." Mace said. "While I was investigating I came across a very peculiar room. In it I saw racks of stormtrooper armor propped up. Several technicians and engineers were working nearby when the same General walked in and began speaking with one of the senior officers. I do not remember what the officers name was but the General's name was never spoken. The General asked how some type of procedure had gone and the officer said it had gone well, but there were a few more tests to run before finalization. Then the General mentioned how the Emperor had taken an interest in their work and was coming to see personally."

"That is exactly what I heard as the General say as well." Trent said. "And it seems that the people, though in the same facility, have no idea what is occurring. They were all surprised when they heard the Emperor was coming. I would have thought a transmission would have been made, telling all that the Emperor was coming."

"Precisely," Mace said. "It is not a big facility, so contact should be easy throughout, unless someone wants to keep things secret from everyone else. Something is not right here."

"What should we do Master?" Trent asked.

"For now, nothing, we have done all we can," Mace said. "Today was just a preliminary search, but tomorrow we go back and gather even more information."

"How so?"

"We will have to sneak in and withdraw the information from the central computer," Mace said. "I passed by it today, and fortunately it is not heavily guarded because it is in the center of the facility, but we will have to be very careful." Mace paused and looked appreciatively at Trent. "You did very well today Trent. What you have helped me to do may cause many changes."

"Thank you, Master." Trent said, some pride in his voice.

"But we have done enough for today," Mace said. "It is late and we must be getting up early tomorrow. Let us go to sleep and we will leave at dawn. Remember, keep your mind focused on the present and do not worry much about the future."

"I will, Master." Trent said.

"Good, I will see you tomorrow." Mace said and they both left for sleep and a new day.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Trent dreamt of death and despair.

Worlds were in flames, people were dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.

_I must stop this!_

He saw the dark tide approaching that could not be stopped. Moons fell, worlds collapsed, people killed other people. And through it all he could do nothing.

Suddenly in his dream Trent saw the events that led to his new life: The building collapsing on Cor, his home in flames, Kirrick beaten and broken as his world died around him. He turned away and saw Brynn standing close beside him, her eyes closed.

_Brynn? _

She slowly turned towards Trent and her eyes snapped open. But instead of normal eyes there were two glowing blue orbs in there place. She opened her mouth in a silent scream and raised and extended her arm. Her fingers spread out and blue lightning shot forth from them. Trent screamed in pain and felt himself falling; falling down into a deep, dark abyss. He looked around but could not see any light.

Then suddenly a light did appear, and standing in it was Mace Windu. Trent called out to his master and ran toward him, his arm reaching out for him. Mace reached out for Trent's as well but still Trent could not reach him. Finally Trent almost reached Mace, almost grabbing his hand, when Mace's face unexpectedly contorted into a grimace of pain.

The light behind Mace became a black shadow, darker than any Trent had seen before. From the shadow came deadly lightning which started to consume Mace, replacing his light with the shadow's dark light. As Trent watched in horror Mace was consumed by the lightning, until he, and the shadow, were gone. Then Trent was alone in the abyss until he too was devoured by the darkness.

**--**

Trent woke up drenched in sweat. He stood up and walked over to the refresher and washed up. He was breathing heavily and did not realize it until he stopped. He splashed water on his face and neck. Then after finishing he returned to his bed and sat down.

"What was that?" Trent whispered. "It was so intense. Was it a dream, or something else? I'll ask Mace in the morning."

As Trent started to lie down he felt something stir within him. It was a strange feeling, one he had never felt before but somehow it seemed to call to him, beckoning him. Trent stood up and followed the call.

He left his safe refuge and entered the dark alleys. In the dark everything became a maze to Trent but the call guided him through it. He did not know where he was going but he was intent on seeing it through.

He passed a corner and came into a room lit by several distinctively placed glow rods. As Trent looked around he noticed that the glow rods seemed to be placed in some sort of pattern though he could not tell what kind. The rods at least made a path for him to follow, leading him up to some sort of stage. And standing on the stage was his master.

"Welcome, Trent," Mace said. "Come up." Trent did so and stood facing his master.

"Trent, my young apprentice," Mace said. "Though I have not trained you for very long you have become an excellent Padawan with great talent. You have shown your bravery in your mission yesterday and that you are ready for the next step. And I hereby bestow upon you the title of Jedi Knight, for passing your challenge and all before. No longer are you my Padawan. And now I give you this," Mace said and from within his cloak handed Trent his lightsaber. "Though you have already built your own lightsaber, now you are formally recognized for your accomplishments. Now you are ready for anything." Mace paused. "Is there anything you wish to say?"

For what seemed along while to Trent he was silent. "Yes there is," he said at last. "Thank you, Master."

"No, Trent, I am not your master anymore."

"Then, thank you, Mace, for all that you have done for me. I only wish I can repay you."

"A Jedi does not do anything for personal gain," Mace said. "What I have done for you I have done in the best interest of all. My only request is this: that you will continue to fight alongside me. Will you do this?"

"Yes, Mace." Trent said.

"I thought so," Mace said. "Now we must return to bed, for we still have much more to do tomorrow."

"Yes, Mace, but I need to ask something first."

"What is it?"

"Before I was called here I had a very disturbing dream," Trent said. "I saw people dying, my friends and family being destroyed all over again, and I lost you as well. What does it all mean?"

"It may have been a dream, Trent," Mace said. "But it may have been a vision of the future, but also one of the past, a specter coming to haunt you."

"Is there anything I should do?"

"Not now there isn't," Mace said. "The only thing to do right now is sleep and wait for a new day."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Once again Trent found himself crawling through the ventilation shafts of the Imperial facility. This time however he was accompanied by his former master, the two of them traveling to the information center in the facility. Mace was leading Trent since only he knew the way. They walked very quietly so as not to bring attention to themselves. At last they made it to the center and came to a grate. They sliced it open and dropped in, careful not to arouse the attention of the two guards. With a quick flick of his wrist Mace sent the two guards flying into the wall, knocking them out. After that he flicked his wrist again toward the security camera and tore it off the wall.

"Good," Mace said. "Now hopefully we will have no more interruptions. But we don't have much time; they'll soon realize something's wrong. Go keep watch." Trent followed Mace's instructions and guarded the door while Mace went over to the computer terminal and began infiltrating the database.

"Have you sensed anything, Trent?" Mace asked after some time.

"No," Trent said. "But master, you are a Jedi, how do you know how to slice a computer?"

Mace smiled as he continued. "Even a Jedi has some skills they are not particularly proud of. Okay, I got in. Come take a look." Trent walked over to see the information that was on the screen.

"According to this," Mace said. "this is an Imperial research facility set up to conduct secret experiments. The facility has been set up as a companion to another secret facility somewhere located around Kessel. This one though, since it is located on Coruscant, is more readily available. Some of the information here says that many things are occurring here. Four things are codenamed: Operation Shake, Operation Control, Operation Obsolete, and Operation Superior. Let me see if I can find anything else. Go back and watch the door some more." As Mace said that one of the guards stirred but with another use of the Force the guard was out again.

"It's strange," Mace said. "This computer not only serves as the central computer for recording all research done but also for recording all communication both within and without the facility. And so far I have not discovered anything regarding the fact that the Emperor is coming here. Here we go. I have found the background information on the different operations here.

Operation Shake seems to be independent of all the rest. According to this the Imperials are building some sort of device which will generate massive ground quakes."

"I knew the Imperials were evil," Trent said. "But I would never think they would murder their own people, especially not on the capitol planet. At least not without some other motive."

"Your correct, Trent," Mace said. "Despite the staggering losses that would occur the Imperials would falsely accuse the Rebels for the sabotage. Without any proof against the Rebels, or anything to incriminate the Empire, the people will have to believe what they are told. This would result in a severe loss, if not entirely, of support for the Rebellion."

"They really are monsters." Trent said.

"Yes they are, but this operation has not been activated yet. I think the machines you saw in you first trip here were the earthquake devices." Mace said. "Let's see what else there is."

As Mace continued looking through the files Trent began to get a sinking feeling in his stomache. His mind wandered back to the person he saw floating in the tube, trying to put a name to the face.

"The next one is Operation Control," Mace said. "It is a simple operation: the Imperials simply turn other innocents into sleeper agents for them. Then they release them back into the galaxy to do their bidding. They have done much with this already, turning many into their puppets. But it seems this operation is tied into another one as well: Operation Superior.

Through a combination of robotics and other devices they are turning their subjects into supersoldiers. Some are the brainwashed victims they have captured while others are there own soldiers. They are transformed into a mechanical organism which they can control like a droid. They can also act like sleeper agents, waiting for the time to strike and show their true power. So far this operation seems to still be in the testing stage, but apparently a prototype supersoldier is almost ready."

As Trent listened he remembered what he had heard Dr. Ixit saying, about how the prototype was almost ready. Could that person in the tube have been the prototype they were talking about? And who was he and why did he seem so familiar to Trent?

"The last project Operation Obsolete is not at all what it sounds like. Here the failed results of the brainwashing and supersoldier experiments end up. The subjects brains are removed and placed in androids, which look like stormtroopers. Other stormtroopers, who have done least well in the field, are also placed here. This transforms them into killing machines with no emotions, no fear, and are made to only follow orders."

Trent continued thinking about the person he saw in the tube and was deep in thought as Mace continued.

"Fortunately except for the sleep agent project none of the other projects are operational. Maybe I can find something else here to help us. I fear we are running out of time." Mace continued his search.

"I think I found something," Mace said and leaned closer to the screen. "It appears to have been recorded almost three years ago. I don't know who recorded it or for what but from it there seems to be a record of a sequence of events. It says they found a subject for one of their projects, near death. They brought him in and treated him and then began to start working on him. At some points the subject nearly died but because of the tests done on him he was kept alive."

Trent heard footsteps approaching. "Mace?"

"Distract him."

Trent did so, making the approaching person think he heard a noise on the other side of the facility. The footsteps got quieter.

"The subject was placed under close observation as the tests continued. Apparently this person was being used in Operation Superior."

Trent's eyes widened.

"The tests have gone well on the subject with many positive results, and he is nearly finished."

"Mace," Trent said. "I think we're going to have company soon."

"Yes, I know, I've felt it too." Mace said and went back to reading the information. "Three years ago when the person was found, despite being near death, he put up a big fight against the Imperials. They seem to have carried him from what, in his ramblings, said was his home. Eventually they extracted the person's name, though they never call him that. His name is-" Mace stopped and gulped.

"Mace?" Trent asked a little suspicious. "What is it?"

"The person's name, and where he was found exactly." Mace said. "He was found in a dirty alley, in a corner, while his home was burning around him. His name is Kirrick."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Trent was stunned beyond words. He had never expected anything like this: to find his own brother still alive, after three years of separation under the most dire of conditions, and to find him in an Imperial facility. It all made sense now: that the person looked familiar to him, the person's age, the sensation he felt that brought Trent back to his brother. It was as if the Force had guided him here and led him to all of this.

"Trent," Mace said turning away from the computer to face Trent. "I know this must be a shock for you, but we cannot deviate from our course. But now that we know what this facility is used for exactly we must stop it at all costs."

"But, Mace," Trent said. "I can't just leave my brother here, I have to rescue him."

"Trent, there is no time," Mace said. "For all we know your brother may already be a pawn of the Empire, and from what we have read from the database he probably already is. It's too late for him."

"No," Trent said with an intense look in his eyes. "I will not leave him again."  
"Listen to me," Mace said, close to Trent's face. "You cannot let your personal feelings get in the way; that is one of the first lessons you learned. If let them then you turn your back on the Jedi code."

"Then perhaps the code is wrong."

"There is no time for this," Mace sighed. "I am sure by now that Empire knows we are here and are sending their forces to intercept us. We must hurry if I am to destroy this facility."

"If _you _are to destroy this facility?" Trent asked.  
"Yes, Trent, though it is against my best judgment I will allow you to rescue your brother. But you must be cautious and waste no time. I will set the core to self-destruct, unfortunately I cannot do it from here and must go to the core room. After that I will meet you at the entrance."

"Why there?" Trent asked.

"Because they will not expect it, though the path there will be difficult."

"Okay, I'll meet you there," Trent said. "Mace, thank you for giving me this chance."

"Don't thank me yet, the hardest is yet to come."

Mace and Trent separated, each going there own ways.

Trent knew he did not have much time. Mace would set the core to self-destruct as soon as possible, which would only give Trent enough time to rescue Kirrick and leave. He came to an intersection and was unsure which way to go. Calming himself, Trent called on the Force to guide his path and went in the direction it pointed.

_I'm coming, Kirrick_. Trent thought.

Trent turned another corner and nearly ran into four marching stormtroopers.

"The intruder! Blast him!" Blaster fire ricocheted off Trent's lightsaber blade, deflected back toward the Imperials.

_Have to be more careful. _Trent thought. I d_idn't even sense them. Mace wouldn't have liked that_.

Trent ran on, his lightsaber ablaze, his senses more aware. He approached another corner but slowed down and masked his presence. Around the corner were several more Imperials, talking. He reached into the Force and listened in on the conversation.

"Sir, we've lost contact with Squad 113." A monotonous voice said.

"One of the intruder's must have made contact with them," another monotonous voice responded. "We'll have to widen our search. I want everyone stationed at every intersection, and have someone report back to the surveillance center. It was foolish to not have anyone stationed there. Report on any activity. Now, move."

"Yes, sir." Trent heard several groups of footsteps marching in different directions, but one was marching toward him. Several stormtroopers turned the corner and walked right passed Trent, who still remained masked by the Force. After Trent continued on his search.

Eluding more simple minded stormtroopers, Trent finally arrived at the lab where he had seen his brother, only to find the door locked. He inserted his lightsaber blade into the door frame and wove it around the outside of the frame. It fell into the room.

"Sound the alarm!" Someone shouted. One of the scientists attempted to press the alarm only to be picked up and slammed into the wall.

"Please," The scientist who Trent knew to be Dr. Ixit said. "Do not hurt us, we have no weapons.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Trent said, thought the scientists could not take their eyes off Trent's lightsaber. "I just came to get someone and I will leave. But some stormtroopers will probably be here soon, so I suggest you leave."

The scientists agreed with Trent and began to leave the room. The one who Trent had slammed into the wall got up as well and scampered away. As Dr. Ixit left he approached Trent.

"You're a Jedi, aren't you?" He said.

Trent simply nodded his head.

"It's amazing there are still Jedi alive after all," the doctor continued. "I was only a young man when they were wiped out."

Trent stared intensely into the man's eyes.

"Yes, well, good luck with everything your going to do." Dr. Ixit said and promptly left.

Silently Trent walked up to where his brother floated and, with a wave of his hand, broke the tank. Trent caught his brother as he slid out of the tank, pulling the breathing mask off him. The liquid pooled on the floor.

"Excuse me, sir," the medical droid said in a soothing voice. "I do not think it is a good idea to do that." Trent used the Force to crumple the droid's head in on itself, sparks shooting out of it.

Now that Trent saw his brother up close, he was horrified at what he saw. Across his brother's entire body were tiny laceration marks with pieces of metal sticking from them.

"Oh, Kirrick, what have they done to you?" Trent said as he looked over his brother who was beginning to wake up.

"What's happening? Where am I?" Kirrick asked.

"Kirrick, it's me Trent."

"What, Trent?" Kirrick said still disoriented.

"Kirrick, I should have known it was you when I first saw you." Trent said. "If I had I would have rescued you right then."

"What do you mean rescued me?" Kirrick asked. "The last thing I remember…"

Kirrick gasped as everything came back. "Oh, Trent," Kirrick said crying. "I remember everything now. They found me where you left me. I tried to get away but they wouldn't let me go. They did so many horrible things to me."

"Kirrcik, I'm so sorry," Trent said hugging his brother. "I never should have left you."

"No, you were not wrong," Kirrick said. "if you had stayed the Imperials would have captured you also. But Trent what has happened since then? I remember the fire and screaming and then just all of this."

"There's no time for that now," Trent said supporting Kirrick as he lifted him up. "We have to get out of here, and quickly."

"What's going on?" Kirrick asked.

"I'll explain on the way."

With that the two brothers left together once again.

-

"General Grund," Dr. Ixit said as he approached. "I have much to tell you."

"What is it, Doctor?" the General asked, sitting down at his desk.

"I have information on the intruders, or at least one of them."

"Really?" the General asked, his interest suddenly piqued. "What is it?"

"One of the intruders broke into the lab and-"

"What!" The General said furiously. "You encountered the intruder and did not notify me immediately? Explain yourself!"

"Of course," Ixit said calmly. "The intruder is a Jedi."  
"A _Jedi_? Are you sure?"

"Yes, General."

"Do you know what this means?" The General asked.

"Yes, I do, which is why I thought you would like to know before the stormtroopers dealt with him."

"The sotrmtroopers are just flies to a Jedi," the General said. "They are far superior to them. But perhaps this is the time to finish that little experiment of yours. Did you finish as I told you to?"

"We made more progress but we we're nearly finished when-"

"It will suffice," the General said. "Activate it, immediately."

"It will be done."

"Good, now leave."

"But General I need a terminal to-" Dr. Ixit began.

"There are plenty of other areas to do so at," Grund said. "Now go, I have important business to attend to, with the recent information.

"Yes, sir." Dr. Ixit turned and left.

General Grund stood up and faced the viewscreen behind him and contacted the person he knew would have the most interest the recent turn of events. The person answered.

General Grund bowed. "My Emperor, I have news for you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Kirrick suddenly became dead weight in Trent's arms.

"Kirrick?" Trent said. No sooner did he say this when Kirrcik began to spasm violently, his limbs twitching. Trent backed away from him no sure what to do. His brother's twitching continued and then stopped abruptly. Kirrick was now standing with is head drooping down. "What's happening?" Trent asked.

Kirrick lifted his head and Trent gasped. Kirrick's eyes were red and raw, an extremely intense and hard look in them. He let out a low moan as his muscles began to bulge, growing to twice their size. Kirrck stood, fully erect, now a head taller than Trent.

"Kirrick, what's happening to you?" Trent asked horrified.

"Objective found," Kirrick said. "Terminate."

"What?" Trent said and then jumped away as Kirrick punched at him. "Kirrick, stop!" His only response was another series of attacks that Trent dodged.

"They've activated you," Trent said with a slight shudder when he realized what was going on. "You're under their control now."

Kirrick punched again at Trent repeatedly but missed everytime.

"Kirrick you can't let them do this to you! You have to fight it!"

Kirrick pasued. He growled a little and tried to open his mouth but failed and resumed his attack.

"You can do it Kirrick, fight their control!"

Kirrick paused again and let out a howl of anguish this time. "I can't." He finally managed to say and let out an unexpected punch, hard, at Trent. It connected with him and sent him flying into the wall, leaving a dent. The world faded away.

-

"The prototype is performing well." General Grund stated.

"Yes, sir." Dr. Ixit said. "But for a moment however we lost him, but then regained him."

"Make sure it does not happen again." The General said. "If this test works we can mass supply these subjects for the Empire."

"Yes, sir." The Doctor said. "I'll increase control by 50 percent."

"Good," General Grund said and turned to a stormtrooper guard nearby. "Has anyone found the other Jedi intruder?"

"Not yet, sir." The stormtrooper said. "We are looking all over."

"Double your search, and send two squads to the lab." The General smiled. "We will need a mop up crew for when the fight is over."

-

Kirrick picked up Trent's still unconscious form and began to repeatedly punch it. After the sixth punch Trent woke up and Force pushed Kirrick away, but was sorry that he had woke up. His nose was broken and bleeding, he was pretty sure some ribs were broken, he could barely stand and it hurt to breath. He briefly tried a Force healing exercise to mend his broken ribs and nose when Kirrick came charging at him, knocking him down. Trent reached for his lightsaber only to realize it was still on the floor where he had fell initially. Trent reached for it and it sprung back into his hand. He activated it and jumped up and Force pushed Kirrick away again, who blocked the push by raising his arms in a defensive position in front of. Instead of flying backwards he merely slid back a few feet. Trent readied his blade.

"I do not want to hurt you Kirrick," Trent said. "But I will if I must." Kirrick charged again and Trent swung his lightsaber. Kirrick's left arm fell.

Kirrick roared in pain, like an animal, and charged again at Trent. Trent backed away and sliced at Kirrick's leg, toppling him to the floor. Kirrick writhed on the floor as he tried to get up. Trent walked nearby him, but still a good distance away, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Kirrick," Trent cried. "I should have been there to protect you, but I failed." Kirrick continued growling and tried to reach for Trent. Trent raised his lightsaber blade up. "I love you, Kirrick."  
Kirrick stopped growling and the wild look in his eyes disappeared. He turned to look at Trent. "Trent, what have I done?"  
"It wasn't you, Kirrcik." Trent said. "It was the Imperials."

"Trent, please help me." Kirrick said and reached out for his brother. "Please, brother." He begged.

Trent hesitated and reached for his brother when suddenly Kirrick growled and kicked Trent, knocking him to the floor. Trent retrieved his lightsaber and walked back over to his brother.

"You are not my brother," Trent said, tears streaming down his face. He raised his blade. "Not anymore." The lightsaber came down."

-

"What happened!" Dr. Ixit yelled as his prototype died. "The Jedi should have been killed. What went wrong?"

General Grund remained silent.

"General, please,-" General Grund held up his hand, silencing the doctor.

"Do not worry, my good doctor." The General said.

"But why not?" The doctor said furiously. "The prototype should have killed the Jedi. You even sent a squad to clean up the mess."

"And still you do not understand." The General said. Dr. Ixit heard the blaster fire. It was the last thing he ever heard.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Mace ran on through the Imperial facility, drawing ever closer to the core. Once there he would only have the simple task of overloading the core to reach critical mass. Then he would merely need to escape before the building exploded.

He continued on, masking his presence to any stromtroopers that neared him. He had already had some close calls but had evaded them. Suddenly, in mid run he felt a sensation in the Force and froze. It was a call of despair and regret; of pain and even anger. Mace knew exactly who the call was coming from.

"Trent." Mace said, worried about his former apprentice. He had no idea what could make Trent feel this way, but he had no time to waste. He had to get to the core. He could only hope that Trent recovered from his pain and anguish.

Mace started moving again and, after a quick evasion of a large group of stormtroopers, finally reached the core. Mace realized that once he overloaded it the stormtroopers would be swarming this place. Fortunately he knew of another way back to the entrance, this way he could bypass any stormtroopers coming through.

Mace walked over to the control panel and started to slice inside. It was easy enough and, to give him some extra time before he would be discovered, he set the core overload on a timer for five minutes. It would be plenty of time for him to escape. He only hoped it would be plenty of time for Trent as well.

"Good luck, Trent," Mace said. "I hope you make it." Mace turned and ran back to the entrance and the exit.

-

"General," a stormtrooper said. "We have just detected the other Jedi intruder in the core room."

"Really?" General Grund said.

"I'll send a squad to intercept him and-"

"No," The General cut him off. "Send all available personnel to the entrance. And I want bombs placed all along the ventilation shafts."  
"Sir?" The stormtrooper asked.

"Do as I say!" The General said. "Have the bombs set for five minutes."

"Yes, sir." The stormtrooper said. "What about the other Jedi intruder?"

"The two squads sent should take care of him," Grund said. "But should he escape he will have no place to go except for the entrance."

"Very good, sir." The stormtrooper said and contacted the other troopers.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

His body not wanting to move, Trent slowly lifted himself off the floor. He had lay on the floor and cried after his brother's death, but now the time for remorse was over. He was a Jedi and his duty came first. Besides, what he and Mace will do today will surely make the Imperials pay for what they had done to Kirrick. Trent knew revenge was not the Jedi way, and that he should not even be thinking such thoughts, but still the Imperials had tortured Kirrick and through Kirrick tortured Trent.

Trent stood tall and turned around and came face to face with ten Imperial blasters.

"Freeze, Jedi." One of the stormtroopers said. "Put your hands up."

Slowly Trent raised his arms, lightsaber still in hand. In a flash, Trent pushed all the stormtroopers back with the Force and ignited his blade. Then he pulled all the blasters out of the Imperials hands and sliced them up.

"Now you get up." He said to the prone Imperials. Slowly they all stood up, their hands up.

"So what are you going to do now?" A stormtrooper said contemptuously to Trent. "You may have defeated us but there is no escape for you."  
Trent turned to look at the trooper who had spoken and his mind spun. He remembered all that the Imperials had done: They had killed his family and friends, destroyed his home, sent him into exile, captured and tortured his brother, using him for their own machinations, and ultimately forced Trent to kill him.

Something in Trent snapped.

A great fire was suddenly unleashed within Trent, one that he had been trying to subdue for many years. He continued looking at the stormtrooper who had spoken and with a quick twirl of his lightsaber cut off the stormtrooper's head.

-

Mace felt the fire that had been unleashed within Trent.

He gasped and leaned back against the wall. Mace felt such a huge rage within Trent that he had not felt before. He tried calling out to him but was forced back. Trent was doing something horrible and there was no way to help him.

-

The last trooper silently fell to the ground. Trent stood above the stormtrooper corpses, breathing heavily. Then the fire suddenly died and Trent realized what he had done. He dropped his lightsaber, which deactivated before it even hit the floor. He looked around, at all the carnage he had done, and was devastated with his actions.

"Mace, forgive me." He said.

Then Trent felt something new. Though he knew he had unarmed prisoners, and he felt terrible about it, he also knew that, though rare, a Jedi makes mistakes. Trent had felt the pull of the Dark side, in his moment of revenge. That was his mistake. But now he knew what it was and would never be consumed by it again.

Trent picked up his lightsaber and started back to the entrance.

-

Mace felt Trent's embrace with the Dark side, but now he felt Trent's wisdom from the experience. Trent had confronted and defeated his dark side and would now never again be pulled back into it. He smiled.

He was close to the entrance now and sensed that Trent was closing in as well, making up for lost time. He called to him in the Force and notified him their current situation and how they were short on time.

_Mace, about what happened. _Trent said in the Force.

_Tell me about it later._ Mace said. _I am at the entrance. Meet me here and- Oh no._

_Mace? _

_Not now._

Mace had came right up to the entrance and ran into a legion of stormtroopers blocking his exit, with General Grund in front. All blasters were pointed directly at Mace.

"Greetings, Jedi," The General said. "We have been expecting you. Let me introduce myself. I am General Grund, and I am in charge of this facility."

_Trent, do not come all the way to the entrance. There are Imperials here. They've got me._

_What? I have to help you then. I'll-._

_No, if the see you, you will get caught also. Come here quietly and hide. Just watch._

_Right._ Mace felt Trent approach slowly and mask his presence.

"Don't you have anything to say?" General Grund asked.

"Yeah, why haven't you killed me yet?" Mace asked.

"Because we have specific orders not to kill you." The General replied.

"Your mistake." Mace said and activated his lightsaber.

"So you are a Jedi." The General said. "It is as we thought. That is good though, we have someone who will want to meet you."

"Who is that?" Mace asked.

"You will find out when he arrives," The General said. "He will be here shortly. But I think he would not mind if we soften you up for him." He signaled to his stormtroopers to open fire. At once they fired and in a whirl of purple and red most of the blaster bolts were deflected back at the stormtroopers. One bolt hit Mace's foot, making a hole in his boot, but the only stormtrooper left was suddenly picked up a slammed into the wall. Now there was only General Grund left.

"Impressive," The General said. Behind him the doors made a click and groan. "Oh, I think our visitor is here."

The doors opened and the first thing Mace saw were two beings dressed in red robes walk in to either side of the door. The stood silently, holding their electrostaffs. A chill ran down Mace's spine, as with Trent as well. Then another shape slowly walked forward.

It was a man dressed in black cloak with the hood slightly covering his face. The only parts of his body revealed, his face and hands, were horrible scarred. General Grund bowed as the man came in and walked fully into the light. He spoke.

"Hell, Master Windu," Emperor Palpatine said smiling wickedly. "I has been a long time."

-

On the other side of the building, in the core room, the timer finally reached zero.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The lights flickered off for a moment and then turned back on as an illuminating red glow. A series of the red lights lit up where Mace and the Emperor stood, but left Trent still in the dark, and he did not mind that at all.

"So you have sabotaged the core," Palpatine said. "Now this facility is doomed."

"I didn't think you were actually going to come." Mace said.

"Oh no, Master Windu?" Palpatine said. "Yet another mistake you made. What made you think I was not going to come?"  
"Something has been wrong here since I first arrived," Mace said. "Your general telling individual people you were coming instead of notifying the entire facility."

"That was merely to motivate them." General Grund said.

"Now, General, do not play dumb," The Emperor said. "I am sure Master Windu has figured it all out by now."

"When I was looking throughout the facility and reading the files in the computer, I learned that none of the current projects were operational. But I realized that they were never supposed to work."

"Correct, Master Windu they were not." Palpatine said.

"But I do have all the information on all the experiments right here." Grund said holding up a disk. "The experiments may not have been currently operational but with the information I have they can still be carried out in the future. And you were partially incorrect in your beliefs. One experiment was supposed to work: the supersoldier one, which I believe your friend dealt with. Where is he, anyway?"

"He escaped." Mace said.

"So you say." The general sneered.

"Emperor, why don't you tell the General the real truth behind the facility and the experiments here?" Mace said.

Emperor Palpatine remained silent.

"Be quiet, Jedi." The General said.

"You are being deceived, Grund." Mace said. "The Emperor has no interest in your operations here. It has been a lie the entire time. My only question is why?"

Grund laughed at Mace.

"You are most mistaken," General Grund said. "With the information on this disk the Empire can develop the technology needed to crush the Rebellion and ensure control of the galaxy forever. That is why this facility has been set up. What other use could it have been for?"

"General Grund, you are a fool." The Emperor said.

"My lord?" Grund asked surprised.

"Do you really think I would set up an officer who graduated in the bottom of his class in a research facility?" The Emperor said.

"My Emperor, what-" Grund started to say.

"As Master Windu said, this entire facility has merely been a fabrication to lure him out of hiding." Palpatine said.

"But how could you know I would come here?" Mace asked.

"It does not truly matter now for you to know, but I will indulge your interest. For a time, I did think you dead but once in meditation I saw what truly happened. I discovered you had survived our encounter and knew what must be done. I only wondered why I did not realize it sooner. But soon everything was planned to make things right.

I issued the construction of this facility and, under the care of General Grund, ordered the operation of the projects here. Much research was done and many results were produced, but it was all false. The true reason for the entire facility was to lure you here. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you would come. After all, what Jedi could resist the chance of helping others?" The Emperor laughed.

The entire facility shook and the lights flickered.

"And finally, you have let your guard down. You never even guessed that this was all a trap. Just like the Jedi, always thinking you are completely correct. All this time, all your planning, all for nothing."

"My Emperor," General Grund said. "Did you really mean-"

"Silence, General," The Emperor said. "I do not need to hear from you anymore. You have served your purpose and are no longer needed."

"But my Lord the information I have could turn the tide-"

"You understand nothing, General." Blue lightning erupted from the Emperor, engulfing General Grund. Grund screamed in agony. "Your time here has been completely worthless. I never needed the information you have gathered and never will. The plans are already in motion to wipe out the entire Rebellion. Goodbye, General." The lightning stopped. Grund's charred, blackened corpse fell to the ground, smoke still rising from it.

"Leave us." Palpatine said to his two guards, who silently left the building. The facility trembled again.

"You are a monster, Palpatine," Mace said. "You sacrifice your own people, people loyal to you, just to achieve your ends."

"And the Jedi are so different?" Palpatine asked. "You would not sacrifice those under you to achieve a common goal, while you remained safe within your Temple?"

"The Jedi were never like that, and we never used people for our own personal ends. Those who died died in the name of the Republic."

"The Republic is dead, Windu," Palpatine said with a sneer. "Just as you soon will be."

Mace brought up his purple blade.

"Now let us finish what we started twenty years ago," Palpatine said. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Lightning surged from the Emperor's fingertips straight at Mace, who blocked the attack with his lightsaber. The blade crackled and protected Mace from the assault. It was a torrent of wind and lightning as Mace did all he could to keep the Force lightning at bay. It stopped.

"You have become weak, Master Windu," Palpatine said. "Before you would have easily been able to see that this was all a trap. It seems that old age has weakened you while I have only grown stronger." Another surge of lightning erupted from the Emperor and Mace barely had any time to react. He yelled as the storm momentarily grew stronger and pushed him back.

"You cannot win!" Mace shouted over the lightning.

"No, Master Windu, it is you!" With a grasp of the Force Mace's lightsaber was pulled away and tossed in a darkened corner. But before the lightning could reach Mace he pushed with the Force and knocked the Emperor back.

"It seems the fight has not completely left you," The Emperor said. "But you are still too late. Once you are dead nothing will be able to stop me not even" Palpatine paused and looked like he had gone into a trance. "your apprentice. So you have taken a disciple, to make up for your failure. I will deal with him soon enough."

"No you won't." Mace said. "He will escape and continue the ways of the Jedi. You will never get him."

"Oh, but Master Windu, do you not understand?" Palpatine said with false sorrow. "No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, I will find and destroy you. There is no escape from the Dark Side and the Jedi will finally fall."

The building trembled.

"And now, brave Jedi," The Emperor said. "You will die."

Blue lightning consumed Mace in agonizing pain. He screamed as the lightning coursed throughout his entire body. Smoke began rising from him while Palpatine smiled wickedly at the sight as he continued his attack. And Trent could only watch in horror as his mentor and friend became one with the Force. The lightning stopped and Mace's blackened body fell silently to the floor.

And then the building exploded.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Trent stood in the wreckage of his first home. The devastation that occurred three years before was still prevalent, with tell-tale marks of everything that had occurred. Even the wall that had fallen on Cor was still there but Trent was in too much grief to remove the rubble and properly bury his friend. He could only remember everything that had happened so recently.

"I should have done something!" he said in tears and slammed his fist against the wall. But he knew he was fooling himself. There was nothing he could have done to help Mace, and if he had tried then he would be dead as well. If anything, Mace had given him enough time to escape.

After the core exploded flames engulfed the facility. In the ensuing confusion Trent took the moment to escape and ran all the way here. As much as Trent hoped, he knew the Emperor was still alive and would be looking for him. The words the Emperor had said repeated in Trent's mind.

"No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, I will find and destroy you. There is no escape from the Dark Side and the Jedi will finally fall."

As Trent's tears stopped, he realized that his dream from the night before had come to pass. His friends and family had been killed and now Mace too was dead, killed by the same lightning Trent had seen in his dream. But it was not a dream, Trent realized, it had been a vision. And now, like in his dream, he was all alone.

"I should have realized it was a vision," Trent said. "Maybe if I did Mace would still be alive."

But Trent knew that things would still have ended the same. But even with Mace dead Trent still had a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the entire facility was a trap to lure Mace into the Emperor's web, but with Trent still alive the Emperor had not fully won. Mace had taught Trent everything he ever knew, even his own lightsaber technique of vaapad.

Trent had not mastered Mace's famous technique but even with the small amount he did know he could continue what Mace had started. And when Mace's lightsaber was ripped away from him it had landed right in front of Trent now wore it on his belt. Everything Mace had taught him will last with him forever and that Mace would always be there to guide him through the Force.

Trent ignited his own orange lightsaber and then ignited Mace's purple blade. He stared at the shimmering energy for what seemed like forever and then clipped both sabers on his belt. The Emperor may have said there was no place for Trent to go, but he would find away. Coruscant was a big place after all, and he was a Jedi.

**End**


End file.
